Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?"Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England, wrote this magnificent response:

A few things spring to mind.Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.

For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace - all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.

So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing - not once, ever.

I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility - for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.

But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is - his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.

And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults - he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface.

Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront.

Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.

And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.

Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that.

He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat.

He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully.

That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.

There are unspoken rules to this stuff - the Queensberry rules of basic decency - and he breaks them all. He punches downwards - which a gentleman should, would, could never do - and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless - and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority - perhaps a third - of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:* Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.* You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.

After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.

He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart.

In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish:

Re: Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

Some British people, some French people, some German people, some Canadian people, some Chinese people (who are not best pleased some Canadian people at the mo), some Mexican people, some Korean people, some Swedish people, and good many Guatemalan people and every last single one of the Puerto Rican people. For one or all of those reasons.Most accurate line:

rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.

I don't have to do this, I just want to make it go faster: Emergency! Emergency! Challenge that in court!

Re: Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

Being a Brit my dislike extends beyond Trump. He seems to me an inevitable result of people voting for “personalities” over policies.

Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying Trump has a good personality only that the whole process of election in the US seems based on popularity rather than than on policy. Trump won because he simply played the game of using “clever” (or rather simplistic) one-liners.

His lies countflr nothing given that the public vite people in based on ... well, baseless rhetoric. Also, compared to politics in the UK the major difference I notice is that whilst the politicians lie they at least have to express - to some degree - HOW they are going to impliment their plans (even if they change them once in power - and because of this people berate them as and when). There is always a degree of “personality” at play, it just doesn’t seem as important in the UK. Finally I’d certainly say that even in the UK things have shifted a little towards the rhetorical gibberish brought about by the halfwit Cameron.

Trump is a blip that can easily be remedied whilst Brexit (no deal) is a possible inreversable nightmare from which there is no quick return - the whole economy could crash and it is impossible to reverse ... I have assumed some backroom negotiations between the US and the UK (prob not at “government” level) that aim to put both countries in a stronger position whilst suffering short term. If so I think it’s a faulty plan and that mass pessimism is driving the world powers more and more due to their, as I see it, inevitable demise (ie. the steady disintegration of the modern states).

Let’s hope the transition over this century is less bloody than the previous social revolutions.

It may just be that the countries rising out of poverty will be the catalyst for a “new” way of doing politics? It could be that AI voting systems will play a larger role - meaning cuttign out the propaganda machine and just getting analysis pf a population based ln personality types to determine political positioning? That is perhaps quite a fantastical thought at the moment, but given a few advances here and there it may well be a realistic choice withinthe next century - given that the current democratic processes don’t completely collapse.

Give it 30-40 yrs when that generation comes to the fore ... that will be a HUGE shift. We’re just living dinosaurs :D

Re: Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

Donald Trump is the ultimate prize for the right. A man representing a country at the pinnacle of modern day society. His rise is the ultimate prize in a world move to the right that has been persistent throughout the last 20 years. In a very similar fashion to the early 20th century the right has been forming a grip around prominent countries. Although we haven't had a world war, we have been entertained by ISIS in the same time frame as WWI. The war with ISIS has involved similar combatants as WWI and when Afghanistan is thrown into the mix most of the same countries.What is to come next,... replication of the roaring 20's,...another war?

Re: Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

Anxiety is prevalent throughout the world, I can see it everywhere. The right have been using people's fear to enforce control. At present we're on the verge of a police state in many of the major countries. Donald Trump sees himself as a great leader but his actions show him as a buffoon under the control of the right. Vladimir Putin shows himself to have greater wisdom and that's saying something. However, always beware of buffoons bearing gifts, they ultimately blow up in your face.

Re: Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

Is that true? I don't mean greater than Trump but generally. He seems to be pursuing an expansionist policy, amassing greater weapons, interfering in elections, ordering State assassinations... do you say this is wise?

I'm not saying most other countries aren't doing these things too but Russia seems to be quite openly brazen about it.

Re: Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

No I don't see what Putin is doing as wise in any sense other than as a comparison with Trump. Maybe, a more choice word would be seasoned. In looking at the two, and please note that both are extremely brazen in what they are doing, Trump appears to be the more foolish in his approach. More and more, American politics is appearing to copy the Russian agenda.

Re: Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

Of course Trump is the more foolish. I was just querying the idea that Putin was wise. Apparently America is now more divided than at any time in its history. And this from the man who was going unite America!

But we knew that right from day one. Even Trump doesn't really know what he's doing in the White House. It's as much a mystery to him as anybody else. It would be quite sweet if it wasn't such a horror story.

Re: Why Do Some British People Not Like Donald Trump ?

There are more and more hints in the media these days, especially with the release of the Mullen report, that Trump's rise was orchestrated by Russia. It has been long known that the more powerful nations tend to meddle in lesser nations affairs. America has been known to have done it. Now Russia has done it to America. Surely, Trump is fully aware of what has been done. I have to wonder what Trump sees as his reward.